A POOLE mum is warning bank customers to be extra vigilant when using cash machines after thieves stole more than £1,000 from her account.

Single mum Carol Godden is the latest victim in the growing crime of ATM cloning, where thieves copy people's cash cards without their knowledge and then drain the accounts of their money.

Carol, a pharmacy technician at Christchurch Hospital, says she had not heard about this type of crime and now wants to stop other people from falling victim.

"I feel such a fool because I didn't realise this sort of thing goes on," said Carol, 45.

"They've taken all my money and left me having to ask friends to lend me cash until I get paid at the end of the month."

Carol, of Parkstone, says she believes the criminals cloned her card after she used the Barclays ATM at Bryant Road in Wallisdown.

"I had no idea some-thing was wrong until I tried to use my card in a machine a few days later. It didn't seem to work properly and then the machine kept my card.

"I ordered a statement and it was only then I realised my account was empty."The thieves had taken hundreds of pounds a time from various ATMs in London, sometimes withdrawing cash at intervals of only minutes.

Carol says the type of account she had exacerbated her losses.

"With the Openplan account, cash from your savings account is auto-matically transferred into your main account when funds in the main account fall to a certain level," she said.

"They kept taking money until nothing was left in both."

A total of £1,180 was taken.

Carol says she has now switched from this type of account.

Julia Husband, regional liaison manager for Barclays, says that the firm takes ATM fraud very seriously.

"If it is a legitimate fraud then the customer's money will be refunded within a few weeks," she said.

"If a customer is exper-iencing difficulty in making ends meet then we can help bridge the gap until the money has been returned by setting up an interest-free overdraft."

She also defended the Openplan account.

"Once a fraudster has obtained details of a customer's card they will defraud any type of account as much as they can, until a customer becomes suspicious and contacts their bank," she said.

"It is essential that customers check their accounts regularly as this is one way to nip in the bud any possible fraudulent activity."

Figures released by the Association of Payment Clearing Services claim that ATM fraud is on the up and cost £39 million in 2003 - just over £10million more than the year before.

A spokesperson from Dorset Police said details of the crime had been passed to the Metropolitan Police in London for investigation.

First published: Sept 14